Many livestock producers use processed feed to raise livestock, such as poultry, cattle, swine, sheep and dairy and beef cattle, rather than unprocessed feed or allowing the animals to graze on open pastures. Processed feed allows producers to achieve greater production in less space and at lower operating costs. In addition to the advantage of raising a larger number of animals on less land, processed feed allows producers to tailor the feed's nutrition qualities for specific types of animals. Thus, not only can more animals be produced on less land, processed feed also enables the animals to grow larger and healthier.
Grain-processing facilities typically combine a number of ingredients, such as wheat, barley and corn, mix them together and mill them to produce an animal feed product. Many grain-processing facilities operate continuously, thus, the milled grain is often moved throughout the system by means of conveyers or augers. Once milled, the feed is subject to various refining processes. For example, the feed may be combined with other materials, cooked, dried or made into flakes or pellets. Often feed is combined with various additives, such as liquid additives, conditioners, supplements, medicines and micro ingredients. Typically, these additives are metered and mixed into the feed through direct liquid injection by means of a micro ingredient machine or a liquid chemical pump, and then they are mixed in large chambers or containers, as a batch process; this process often leads to uneven distribution of the additive on the feed.
Different additives require different processing. For example, certain additives are heat sensitive and must be added to the feed after it is cooked; other additives can be mixed with the feed at any appropriate time in the process.
Additives work optimally in certain animals at particular concentrations. Thus, it is desirable to efficiently and uniformly distribute the additives into the feed. Uniform distribution of the additive into the feed prevents the livestock from consuming too much or too little of the additive. For example, a feed with an uneven distribution may have negative effects on the animals to which it is fed because some animals may get fed too much additive while others get fed too little additive. The animals that ingest the feed with too high a concentration of additives may be harmed, or the excess additive may pass through the animal without achieving its desired effect. Likewise, an animal that ingests feed with too little an additive content is not receiving the benefits intended by the additive. Thus, efficient uniform application insures that the animals will ingest the proper amount of additive and the additive will perform optimally.